Thing 19

When trying out a podcast for this Thing, I was surprised that there was no visual component to the podcast. I guess I didn't realize that it's really just an audio Thing...at least the podcasts that I explored. But I did find a couple that I liked, and I came to appreciate that I actually didn't have to watch anything in order to learn from and enjoy the podcast.

I found the LearnOutLoud directory to be the most user-friendly and helpful to me, though it did take me a second to see how the podcasts are described and how to choose which one to listen to. I found entertaining podcasts on this directory, and a variety of subject areas. One set/series of podcasts I found was for the LA Theatre Works Podcast site, which has podcasts of plays by Arthur Miller, performed by well-known actors. As the producers noted, this way of podcasting plays is reminiscent of pre-TV land, when people found entertainment in the form of plays on the radio. Interestingly, the Common Craft Show video about podcasts was talking about how podcasts are so far removed from old technology, but here they are strangely similar.

As for podcasting myself, I'm not sure I'm ready to take that on. But I might be able to think of ways for students to create podcasts for projects they are doing in class. For example, perhaps they could create podcasts for portions of "Romeo and Juliet" while we are reading the play. This would provide a helpful way to review portions of the play, as well as Shakespeare's language, through speaking, listening and creating.

Thing 18

I finally came back to this Thing! And I have decided that I like wikis. They seem useful and I think I should have given them a chance before. I thought the video explaining what a wiki does and how it can be used was quite helpful; I can imagine actually creating a wiki for a situation like the one described in the video. It's like a whole new way to do an evite! I guess I would still wonder how to invite people to join the wiki, but I think I could figure it out once I looked into it further. I added some of my favorites to the ASH sandbox wiki, which I think was a nice, easy way to explore the wikis. I'll have to remember this tool and try to use it again... I'll also have to think of how it could be used in the classroom...

Speaking of how to use things/Things in the classroom, I find that I'm losing track of all the good ideas I had for how I was going to put some of the 23 Things into action. Thankfully, I have my blog to help me remember, but I guess some of them will just have to wait until next year perhaps. I could peruse these applications more thoroughly over the summer, and work them in... All in good time...